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Clinton News-Record, 1978-05-18, Page 1- •r the chopper --Saul Bunyan and early, pioneers would have been amazed with th1s piece of modern day technology. This complicated piece of machinery that has been seen around Clinton, is a stump remover. The giant rotating saws on the under Playground proposed portion of the machine cut the stumps, large or small into smaller pieces for easy removal. The remover is being used to take out the stumps of many diseased trees that were recently cut down. (News -Record photo) Have an old tire, Stanley wants it A little initiative channeled in the right direction can go a long way. - The Stanley Township Recreation Committee along with the Huron County Board of Education and interested parents have parlayed a lack of outdoor activity equipment at Huron Centennial Public School in Brucefield into elaborate plans for a creative playground in a park -like setting. The concept of the creative playground at the school began with the students who had complained there was little activity on the playground. Parent , Sandy Turner explained the school had received some equipment from the Vanastra Public School when it closed but it was of little value to the students. She said the parents initiated the project with the co-operation of the t teachers and began formulating plans for a creative playground. The creative playground is •an arrangement of climbers, posts, swings, tires and slides designed to he fun, safe and.to be used by several children at the same time. The proposed Centennial School playground has three distinct play areas and the committee hopes to begin the construction before the end of June with completion by September. The funding for the project will come from government grants, donations, fund raising activities and the use of volunteer labor. The total cost of the project was estimate° at $12,000 and the committee is hopeful that much of the cost will be covered by grants. The creative playground became the First column: Alone by Shelley McPhee I've often jokingly said that Editor Jim never does any work, but I must take back my words after this week. I guess I wasn't as hard done by as I thought and now with Jim on a week's vacation I admit that this one -woman editorial staff will be glad to have him back on the job. Truthfully things have been running pretty smoothly around here during Jim's absence, but that does not necessarily mean he isn't needed here at the News -Record. With some help from our advertising manager, Gary along with Freda and Peggy in the front office we've managed to get out a paper. Dave Sykes, a reporter from the Goderich Signal Star has also been a lifesaver with the tricky dating, news stories and respondence copy. + + + With any luck, there may he a break in sight with the May 24th long weekend coming up. Although the office will be officially closed on Monday, May 22, we'll no doubt have to make up for the lost time by working twice as hard on Friday and the following Tuesday. + ++ The Clinton Post Office will also be closed on Monday so that means there'll be a rash of mail and news copy corning in on Tuesday. + ++ Hopefully after a night of camping, a long weekend tradition for me, I'll be ready to work double time. + + + Let's hope, the weather will come across in a more springlike or even summer feeling over the weekend. Gardeners, farmers, travellers, people opening their cottages and generally everyone would appreciate a little co-operation. + ++ Baseball players and coaches will also be hoping for a nice day this Saturday, May 18 when any interested pee wee ball players are invited to come out to the Clinton Community Park for the organization and setting up of teams for the summer season. It may be a little different from baseball, but another event that takes a lot of co-operation and coaching is the Queen of the Fair contest. In the past the Queen was usually chosen at the time of the Clinton Spring Fair in June, but this year the lucky girl will be chosen on Saturday, May 27 before a dance to be held in the Clinton arena. Tickets are now being sold for b the dance. +++ The Clinton Police Department wanted to look in tip-top shape for police week which is now on, but they didn't realize that they would receive such a- thorough cleaning of the station for their open house week. Chief Westlake said that Tuesday morning he arrived to see the offices floating in a giant pool of water. I,t seems that the water hose in the garage which is attached to the building, sprung a leak and during the night the water seeped or should I say poured in under the door. Well. at least the carpets will be thoroughly cleaned. +++ It's too bad the streets of town and countryside couldn't have looked as clean as the police office over the weekend. With the gusty winds, no piece of stray garbage lay untouched as they gathered along the sidewalk and became wedged in fences. Along with the dust that was stirred up, going outside was not a pleasant affair. +++ Other than that, being out-of-doors is a real treat these days, for me anyway. I'm finally convinced that spring is here and there's not a nicer sight than the spring flowers, for- sythia bushes in bloom and yes, the yellow dandelions that are popping up. I will never understand why people dislike dandelions so much? I'm being told over and over again how delicious the greens are, but apart from that, they're really a nice looking site in a green field or on a lawn. People spend so much time planting flowers and then they pull out dandelions, I don't understand. I'm sure if we all went to Switzerland and saw fields full of bright • wild flowers we'd t'link they were beautiful. Why not feel the same about the poor outcasted dandelion? pet project of a combined committee of parents, teachers. the Huron County. School Board, and the Stanley Recreation committee. The group has already received ap- proval for an Experience '78 grant of 85.100 for construction labor. The students and teachers of the school each contributed $600 to the fund and $200 raised at a euchre and toy sale brings their total to $6,500. The committee is confident that the, project will be eligible for Wintario and Community Recreation Centres grants, that will provide a healthy portion of the remaining $5,500 to complete the project. Committee Member, Mrs. Turner, explained the group has since run two fund raising activities. a variety -talent show and a dance. She said the net profits from the talent show were $200 but proceeds from the dance have yet to he tallied. Despite the fact that four students and a foreperson will be hired with the Experience '78 grant. the committee will still solicit the support of the community for volunteer labor. Mrs. Turner ex- plained the committee will also seek donations from the people who were unable to attend the fund raising ac- ..tivities. The Huron County Board of Education granted the committee use of the school property for the project. and although it is located on school grounds. the playground will he available for public use. While the committee is still seeking monetary support they would also greatly appreciate donations of tires, cedar posts and especially trees, which will, he planted as an integral part of the playground. The committee has not received word on approval of the CRC and Wintario grants, but even if they are approved, additional money. labor and donations will he needed to complete the creative playground project. Anyone interested in helping with either a cash donation or labor is asked to call Sandra Turner at 262-5350. Clinton's new cruiser damaged Robert Simpson, 22, RR 1, Lon- deshoro, pleaded guilty in Goderich Provincial Court on Monday to charges of wilful damage after he purposely damaged the new Clinton Police cruiser. Simpson was fined $200 and placed on a year's probation after an incident at the Elm Haven on Saturday night where he rammed his car into the side of the cruiser. The damaged Cruiser followed an incident where Simpson was asked to leave the Elm Haven. Chief Lloyd Westlake estimated. damages to the cruiser to be $400-$600. The repairs will involve the straightening of the front and back doors on the right side of the car, two new door skins as well as repainting. Dean Ryan, 21, 12 King St., Clinton was charged with failure to yield from a private drive after he was involved in a two -car collision on May 13. A car driven by Janet Lynn Schoenals, 16, Goderich was eastbound on Huron Street in Clinton when a commercial van, driven by Ryan, backed out of a private drive and the two collided. Damage to the Schoenals vehicle was set at $800, and $200 to the rear of the van. 113th year —No. 20 Thursday, May 18, 1978 Get 21 units Fire Board buys beepers by Shelley McPhee Within the next four to six weeks, the members of the Clinton fire department will be carrying a new accurate and sophisticated communications device to alert them when the fire alarm is sounded. With the specifications and costs from three tenders, the Clinton Fire Board on Monday night accepted an application from Motorola to supply the Clinton Fire Department with 21 beepers at the cost of $343 each, plus an encoder costing $660.' Motorola along with two other com- panies, TCS Electric from Kitchener and Two -Way Communications from Waterloo tendered for the beepers, however Motorola's application was accepted at a total cost, including in- stallation, of $7,958. TCS's price was $11,303 and $9,387 from Two -Way. The beeper system which is now widely used in many municipalities consists of pocket -sized radios carried by each fireman and are used to page them to the fire hall when the alarm is sounded. Along with the beepers the encoder is also used to initially designate the fire signal to the beepers. With the new system, when an emergency call is received on any fire phone, the dispatcher will pick up their own telephone and call a special number. This in turn activates the encoder which will energize the beepers. The dispat- cher can then give the emergency message over the air to all the beeper units through the telephone and alert all monitors with an audible beeping tone automatically. The svCtprn will he tied in with the four fire pb„pnes at the Wildex Plant, Hearn's Whn,'esalc. Huronview and the Clinton hospitas as well. Themal range for the beepers will be five '7A�iiles. However in a car the beepers will have a range of eight miles and out-of-doors may pick up signals 12 miles away. As well an auxiliary unit could be purchased from the company which would allow for a 25 mile range. Along with that purchase. the beeper can also accommodate an amplifier charger for $77 each which would increase the loudness of the signal. "A man who was welding could hear it," explained board member Roy Wheeler, however at the present time the board is not considering these ad- ditional purchases. As it stands now, Clinton will be picking up 59.13 per cent of the system's total cost. The rest of the cost will be shared by the other four municipalities served by the Clinton Fire Department: Goderich Township, 21.80 per cent: Hullett Township, 11.45 per cent: Tuckersmith Township, 4.64 per cent: Stanley Township. 2.98 per cent. An additional future provision of the beepers and the encoder is that they can accommodate the Brucefield Fire Department on a private line as well as pick up radio frequencies from the Goderich, Blyth. Seaforth and other nearby fire departments. Clinton's Fire Chief, Clarence Neilans is pleased with the hoard's decision to purchase the peepers. "I think they're really a good idea and we really need them." One of the reasons that the beeper system was purchased was that severat volunteer firemen complained that they couldn't hear the fire siren, especially those who live in the south end of Clinton, known as "Little England." For the present time the siren will still be used until as Chief Neilans said, "we've practiced with the beepers." Engineers study arena floor By Jim Fitzgerald An engineering report detailing the costs and method of construction for the new arena floor at the Clinton Community Centre should be available next month, the Clinton recreation committee learned at their meeting last week. The committee has hired the London engineer firm of James F. McLaren to draw up specifications and to give an estimated cost before the rec committee asks for tenders on the project, estimated to cost between $100.000 and $150,000. The rec committee hopes to begin the project on August 1st, and have it completed in time for the hockey season next Octtoher. When the costs are known the committee will also canvass Clinton and the surrounding area to raise about $40,000 in donations. The rest of the cost will be covered by provincial grants. The committee also decided to move the bingos out under the grandstand during the floor replacement The bingos, a project of all the service clubs in town, start on Monday June 5, and continue each Monday until September. Profits from them will go towards the arena floor. In other business, the committee learned from arena - manager Clarence Neilans that a temporary wall has been constructed at the west end of the arena. to allow the soccer and hall teams to use the two dressing rooms and washrooms at that end of the arena. They also received a thank you letter from the minor hockey association, who ran in the black this year, thanking the rec committee for writing off their debt for the previous year. Applications were also reviewed from young people seeking em- ployment with the parks, and swimming pool staff this year, but no fi al decisions were reached. The committee also decided it won't support any ball teams this year, but will help them get Wintario grants for equipment. That decision fo followed a request from the juvenile girls ball club, "If we start with one, then we'll have to support them all," parks chairman Dean Reid said. The committee also approved buying a Case 220 riding lawn mower from H. Lobb and Sons for $1,500, $50 more than the other lowest tender. The committee took the Lobb bid because the farm dealership donata:rs a tractor each year to the arena to clean ice. and the committee felt that Lohhs had hent over backwards in the past to help the arena. Reid also reported that all three hall diamonds were now ready. in- cluding the hardball diamond. which will serve a dual purpose this year for both hardball and softball. The siren will later be phased out, once the beepers prove to work satisfactorily. Then, the siren will only be used as a back up unit in cases of emergency or power failure. Lightning hits Kippen silo A cement silo on the farm of Bill Coleman at Kippen will have to be replaced after it was hit by lightning in a morning thunderstorm on Tuesday, May 9. Mr. Coleman said that the 14 by 50 foot silo is cracked from the top to bottom after it and the transformer were struck by a bolt of lightning about 11:30 a.m. The corn silage that filled the silo may also be ruined, Mr. Coleman said. Although no damage figures have been estimated Mr. Coleman said that two steel granaries were severely damaged when a hydro pole came down on top of them and the fuse panels to the barn were destroyed. Hydro at the Coleman residence as well as many surrounding homes was out for the most part of the day and the hydro main service to the barn has not been restored yet. "I can't do chores until daylight," Mr. Coleman explained. The barn is filled with beef cattle. Fortunately their water supply is fed fron7cthe house. Mr. Coleman added that the barn was supplied with lightning rods but were melted down when the bolt struck. Weather 1978 1977 HI LO 111 l0 MAY 9 15 10 11 11 12 12 17 13 17 14 15 15 14 Rain 11.19 7 5 6 12 13 10 10 50 29 57 31 66 28 68 39 70 45 69 32 72 44 No Rain Broadway blues After 14 years of engagement poor Adelaide, played by Louisa Martens, has almost given up on her Nathen Daetroit, played by Philip Street. Adelaide and the gambler Nathen were two of the main characters depicted by the Clinton DiSttrlet Young Players, when they presented their version of the musical, Guys and Dolls last Thursday, Friday and Saturday at CLASS. By the end of the show Broadway Street was filled with people who came out to finally see Adelaide and Nathan de the knot. (News -Record photo)